New

6B Reading ENGLISH FILE

Intermediate

Description Students read a text about visiting a place where a film was made and answer comprehension questions
Lesson link Use this activity after exercise 6
Time 10 minutes
Extra material Print out and photocopy the Looking for Il Postino worksheet for each student

Instructions
a Explain that SS will read a short text about
someone going on holiday to look for scenes from
the Italian film Il Postino (Translated as The
Postman). Then SS will have to answer eight
comprehension questions. Before SS read the text,
ask what they know about the film Il Postino.
b Give each student a copy of the Looking for Il
Postino worksheet. Give SS five minutes to read the
article and answer the questions. Before giving SS
the answers, give SS a minute to discuss their
answers with a partner.
c Finally ask SS to look again through the text and
find examples of the passive. The examples are:
some of the poems were actually written by
Neruda (lines 5–6), one of the islands which was
used (lines 7–8), Many of the best scenes in the
film are set here (line 8), where the film had been
shot (line 12).

Answers

1 Because Mario steals Neruda’s poems.

2 No, Salina is “one of the islands, which was used
in the film …”.
3 He says that it is lovely and quiet.
4 Shot means filmed with a movie camera.
5 A guidebook and a map.
6 Because he is walking and it is a very hot day.
7 Lizards.
8 He feels very positive because he had a little
adventure and people were very friendly to him.

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2007 www.oup.com/elt

elt.enquiry@oup.com
 New
6B Reading ENGLISH FILE
Intermediate

Looking for Il Postino

In 2005 I went on holiday to Sicily because I had seen the film Il Postino. Il Postino
is an Italian film which tells the story of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and a
postman, Mario, who both live on a small Sicilian island. In the film Neruda and
the postman become friends. Mario is inspired by Neruda to write love poems to a
5 beautiful woman who he wants to marry. Unfortunately, some of the poems were
really written by Neruda, who gets angry with Mario for stealing his work.

Around Sicily there are many beautiful islands and one of the islands which was
used in the film was Salina. Many of the best scenes in the film are set here, in
Pollara, a beautiful fishing village near a lovely, quiet beach. I had decided that this
10 was one place I wanted to visit.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t easy and I had a number of problems. The first one was
that all the places on the island where the film had been shot were very hard to
get to. I was also only on the island for one day. And, instead of getting a taxi, I
decided to get a local bus but I got off at the wrong place.

15 With my guidebook in hand, I started to walk to Pollara and I asked a lady for
directions. She looked at me in amazement and she asked, “Are you going on
foot?” It was a very hot day and the sun was bright. She told me that I should give
up and go back but I walked on. There was no one in the countryside and the only
sign of life was the little lizards, which were running around everywhere.

20 Unfortunately, I was reading my map wrongly and when I got to the end of the
road I found nothing. The road ended in a building site and there was nowhere
else to go. One of the builders came to speak to me and he also said that it would
be impossible to walk to Pollara. Realizing this was true, I returned to the bus stop,
feeling very hot and disappointed. Although I never saw the scenery from the film, I
25 did have a little adventure and everyone was really friendly and helpful to me so I
have no regrets at all. In fact, I enjoyed getting lost!

Questions
1 Why do Mario and Neruda have an argument in the film?
2 Was Salina the only island used in the film?
3 What does the writer say about the beach in Sicily?
4 What does shot mean in line 12?
5 What two things does the writer use to help him find Pollara?
6 Why does the woman advise him to go back?
7 What kind of animals does the writer see?
8 How does the writer feel about his experience?

Photocopiable © Oxford University Press 2007 www.oup.com/elt/englishfile